UAE: Khalifa Port Modernization Progresses Well

The first batch of the world’s largest ship to shore cranes have set sail from Shanghai, China on their way to Khalifa Port. The super post panamax cranes built by Chinese company ZPMC are due to arrive at the end of January.

ADPC announced an AED 193 million contract for six cranes with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd (ZPMC) at the World Ports and Trade Summit in 2011.

The cranes are designed with a single hoist and a rated load of 110 tonnes that will support tandem lift (2 x 40’) operations in the future. An outreach of 65 metres and a lifting height of 44 metres under the spreader will secure the capacity required to handle Ultra Large Container Ships. The terminal is designed to introduce fully automated transport on the quay at a later stage and for this reason the cranes are designed with a 38 metres back reach.

This brings the value of crane contracts awarded by ADPC for Khalifa Port since November 2010 to AED 707 million (USD 192.64 million). These include: Konecranes Finland – AED 430 million (USD 116.98 million); Terex – AED 84 million (USD 22.9 million); and ZPMC – AED 193 million (USD 52.4 million).

Khalifa Port features a multi-purpose port island located 4.5 kilometres offshore and covers an area of approximately 9.1 square kilometres, including onshore and offshore units, and linked causeways. In the initial stage, from Q4 2012, it will operate to a capacity of two (2) million TEUs and twelve million (12) tonnes of general cargo, including the anticipated four (4) million tons of raw material cargo a year delivered to the dedicated EMAL (Emirates Aluminium) berth at the port. By 2030, Khalifa Port is expandable to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of general cargo a year.

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Dredging Today Staff, January 11, 2012; Image: adpc